Fuel Rods For Charging Batteries -$30 Unlimited Exchange

[Jerryp49]

Article from Micechat : New Battery Chargers Throughout Resort
The charging lockers were removed not too long ago, but have now been replaced by Fuel Rod portable charger to-go machines. They cost $30, come filled with power and can be swapped endlessly with replacement chargers at any Fuel Rod machine. Until someone at Disney Parks Merchandise figures out how to make them collectible, then all bets are off.

Picture this: the lights dim, the fireworks start and as you raise your phone to grab a video of the castle as it lights up, your battery dies. Starting Nov. 18, Disneyland Resort Guests may purchase portable charging batteries that help ensure they capture those memories all day long.

Guests have unlimited swapping ability (trade a depleted portable battery for a fully charged one!) at kiosks located at 10 select Disneyland Resort locations:

• Disneyland Park: Main Street Locker Rental & Storage, Starcade (near ATM), “it’s a small world” Toy Shop, Hungry Bear (lower level)
• Disney California Adventure Park: Kingswell Camera, Treasures in Paradise
• Downtown Disney District: ESPN Zone
• Disneyland Hotel: Outside Business Center (Fantasy Tower)
• Disney’s Grand Californian Resort & Spa: Convention Area
• Paradise Pier Hotel: Hotel Lobby Area

* Locations in Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park are available now, while kiosks at the Hotels of the Disneyland Resort and Downtown Disney District will be installed in early December.

Each portable charging battery set costs $30 and comes with the following:

• One (1) portable charging battery
• One (1) 6” USB Type-A to micro-USB cable (for most Android devices)
• One (1) Apple 30-pin to USB cable (for iPod, iPhone Gen 1-4)
• One (1) Apple Lightning to USB cable (for iPhone Gen 5)

They are $30 if you buy them at the resort or $20 through this link (not an affiliate link). They say:

Each FuelRod Includes:

• A ready to use FuelRod to power your devices.
• Adapters for both Android and Apple devices that are yours to keep, at no additional charge.
• The ability to be refueled (recharged) in any standard wall outlet.
• The ability to be swapped (traded) for a fully fueled unit at little to no additional cost at any FuelRod SwapBox. (The Disney swaps are free as of publish date)

FuelRod currently ships inside the U.S.A. only. Shipping is $5.

With all this interest in keeping your smartphone fully charged, My Magic + can’t be far behind.

 

[mom2rtk]

Those charging lockers must have been removed in the last few days. Because we used one just last week. We were happy to use the locker for $2 for an hour, but no way would I pay $30. We just don't need one often enough for that to pay off.

And I won't worry about MM+ until I hear about park wide wifi being available.

 

[Winnowill]

I'd pay $20 for that - I use my phone extensively in the parks when I'm there, and my portable charger gets me, maybe, an additional 4% before it's depleted (yeah, not so useful). Clearly, I need a new one, and being able to swap fully charged packs would be a huge boon.

 

[figment_jii]

They rolled out the Fuel Rod service in WDW a bit ago, so you can also swap out your rods in WDW and at any Fuel Rod kiosk you come across (I know some airports have them as well). The battery isn't large (I think it's in the 2500-2600 mah range) and you can buy cheaper (and larger) lipstick batteries on-line, but Fuel Rod means you won't have to remember to charge it at night and you won't need extras if you go through more than one re-charge per day.

 

[tlovesdis]

Uh no thanks! I paid $11 for two portable chargers that work great!

 

[figment_jii]

I have mixed feelings about the Fuel Rods. I seriously considered getting one for my recent trip to WDW, but I just couldn't quite justify the cost for a somewhat small battery. My phone won't last the whole day without at least one recharge (two is needed on really long days in WDW because of MDE). There is something to be said for the convenience of not having to carry around several batteries for everyone in the family's phones, but I just couldn't quite spend $25 to $30 for a battery when I already have four lipstick batteries.

 

[SMD]

They have the kiosk at the San Diego Convention Center. The rods don't recharge themselves, an attendant needs to switch out the depleted ones with recharged ones. I'd hesitate to invest until more info is available on how often the kiosks are being refilled. Also, those chargers lose efficiency over time. If it's going to become a game where you get 20-40% from the charger and then have to find another kiosk in a short period of time, I'd rather invest in my own high capacity charger that I can kind of keep track of how many times it's been used. They take up less space than the charging lockers, which is nice. But since I was paying for it anyway, I did like leaving my stuff in the locker for even an hour. And you could charge more than 1 phone, which was nice too.

 

[DVC Mary]

Has anyone tried buying them from an airport or directly from fuel rod? If so, will WDW let you still them swap them out for a fully charged one? Anyone w/ this experience? I'm thinking of buying them for stocking stuffer for sons because of the Disney swap out. If not I'll buy a higher powered charger.

 

[grelca]

Has anyone tried buying them from an airport or directly from fuel rod? If so, will WDW let you still them swap them out for a fully charged one? Anyone w/ this experience? I'm thinking of buying them for stocking stuffer for sons because of the Disney swap out. If not I'll buy a higher powered charger.

I haven't done it, but yes you can trade any FuelRod from any kiosk at any other FuelRod kiosk, including Disney locations

I wish LAX or MSY (the two airports I use most frequently) had a kiosk so I could grab one of these for $20 instead of $30 at Disney! They sell them on their website, too, but with $5 shipping so $25 total.

 

[WonkaKid]

I have a portable charger that gives me a full charge. Cost about $13 delivered but kind of a pain to carry. About 4" long, 3/4" in diameter but heavy for its size. I just ordered (but have yet to receive) a case with a built-in charger. Cost $28. We'll see how that works.

 

[grelca]

To me, the biggest advantage of these over a normal extra battery (which I have one and it's been a lifesaver on multiple occasions), is that (if you're going somewhere that has kiosks at least) a. you don't have to remember to charge it, and b. you don't have to worry about a single full charge not being enough. I have forgotten to charge my Mophie more times than I can count, and there have also been plenty of times I've let a friend use it, and then there wasn't enough charge left to keep my phone charged the rest of the night. Now, the second problem can be solved by just having one of the higher capacity batteries, but the bigger the battery, the more space it takes up. For the convenience factor alone, I think these far outweigh your everyday external battery packs.

I really want one, I just don't want to pay the $10 Disney upcharge

 

[bumbershoot]

I'd pay $20 for that - I use my phone extensively in the parks when I'm there, and my portable charger gets me, maybe, an additional 4% before it's depleted (yeah, not so useful). Clearly, I need a new one, and being able to swap fully charged packs would be a huge boon.

We have an Anker PowerCore with two USB ports that generally fully recharges my iphone twice WHILE also recharging DH's Samsung and my son's device as well. About $40 from amazon.

I saw one of these "fuel" kiosks at the Long Beach convention center and thought it was one of the most useless ideas ever, with high capacity, terrific, chargers available at very good prices from stores.